LIB DEMS OFFICIAL OPPOSITION AS LABOUR “DEAD IN THE WATER” IN SUNDERLAND

City’s Lib Dems celebrate maintaining second-largest party status as Sunderland becomes 2-horse race between Lib Dems and Reform UK.

At the 2026 local elections in Sunderland, the Liberal Democrats were returned as the second-largest party, with Reform winning 58 and Labour being reduced to just 5, their worst in the city’s history. The Conservatives and Greens failed to win any seats.

The Liberal Democrats won 12 seats, with full slates of 3 councillors elected in Fulwell, Doxford Park, Grindon & Thorney Close and Pallion & Ford.

The Conservatives also suffered their worst result in living memory, being total wiped out. The Greens lost all their seats.

Commenting on the result, Liberal Democrat Council Group Leader Paul Edgeworth said:

“It’s clear that Labour cannot win in Sunderland at any level. This city is a two-horse race between Reform and the Liberal Democrats.

“This result just confirms what we’ve always known. Local people are sick of the Labour party, sick of the Labour council, and sick of the Labour government. They are dead in the water in Sunderland. 

“People in Sunderland do not want Labour. But where there is an alternative, they do not want Reform either.

“When people elect a Lib Dem councillor, they like what they get and they vote for more of it. I’m encouraged by our strong showing in this election, bucking national trends and providing a hopeful and optimistic alternative to Labour’s chaos. 

“I would like to thank everyone who voted for our positive and constructive vision for the city’s future. We will continue to work hard and deliver for all residents, and we will continue to provide an effective opposition to the new council. 

“To those who are disappointed or worried about the direction the city and the country is moving, my pitch is don’t just be angry, be motivated. Get involved. Join us, work with us, and together we can help Sunderland move forward.”